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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. board — to get on
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — in music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tear — to rip
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — goods
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — to recline
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — from crying
  23. band — a ring
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com